ACU researcher finalist for top award

ACU researcher Dr Jocasta Ball is one of five finalists for the Bupa Emerging Health Researcher Award and has been awarded $5,000 for being a finalist.

The winner will be announced at a cocktail party hosted by Research Australia on 18 November and will receive an additional $20,000.

“I will be appearing in a video discussing the research I have been involved in. In addition, Bupa will be giving a significant amount of media attention to the MacKillop Institute,” Dr Ball said.

“This award nomination means that the research I am involved in is meaningful and relevant to improving the health outcomes of individuals with cardiovascular disease. As an early career researcher, this funding will allow me to gain independence and forge a pathway of investigating my own research areas of interest.

“I will have the potential to obtain pilot data that may be the basis for future funding proposals for larger scale projects. In addition, I will have the opportunity to attend networking events and create new collaborations, leading to new research opportunities.”

Dr Ball said the nomination was also reflective of the quality of research being conducted at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research.

“I am proud to be one of the inaugural post-doctoral researchers within the MacKillop Institute and be under the mentorship of internationally renowned researchers such as Professor Simon Stewart,” she said.

Professor Stewart said that if MacKillop was to become a sustainable research Institute, it was imperative it is renowned for giving our early to mid-career researchers the best possible opportunities to gain independence and follow their own research pathway (including gaining competitive funding and building their own team).

“In this way we will not only attract the brightest and best health researchers but develop the next generation of research leaders within the MacKillop,” Professor Stewart said.

“I'm immensely proud of Jocasta for having achieved success so early in her career and have no doubt this reflects a bright research future.”